Tag Archives: deal

Sign me up, or let me leave, says Lescott as City defender urges club to show him respect

By
David Kent

PUBLISHED:

07:12 GMT, 20 April 2013

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UPDATED:

07:16 GMT, 20 April 2013

Joleon Lescott hopes Manchester City will treat him with respect when it comes to deciding his future.

The England defender is close to entering the last year of his contract with the FA Cup finalists and has yet to fix up a new deal.

He has told the Daily Telegraph that he wants to stay, but claims he is not naive enough to think that is assured.

New deal: Joleon Lescott hopes Manchester City will treat him with respect

And, with the World Cup on the horizon, the former Everton man wants a first-team place to show national boss Roy Hodgson that he is up to the job.

He said: 'If someone said when I signed here “you're going to win the Premier League, get to two FA Cup finals and represent your country in the Euros” I'd have snapped their hand off.

'So now to go into the final year of my contract uncertain about my future is quite strange. I'd love to stay. My wife's pregnant, we've just moved house, the kids are happy at school. But I'm not naive. When you've achieved all that and you're going into the last year of your contract your future might be elsewhere.

'I can't afford to go into a World Cup year being uncertain of whether I'm going to play [regularly] here.

England ambition: Lescott wants to be a regular in World Cup year

'I feel I've done enough for the club to demand a bit of respect in terms of they come and tell me what they want, whether it's a new deal, which I would be delighted to sign, or [to go] elsewhere.

'I'm very respectful of the club with what they've done for me, how they were persistent when Everton were digging their heels in to keep me. I owe a lot to the club. I also feel I've done enough to demand a bit of respect to not see speculation about my future.'

Billion dollar Rory! Nike deal sets McIlroy on his way to UK record haul… but Ryder Cup storm clouds threaten his Abu Dhabi party

By
Derek Lawrenson

PUBLISHED:

22:48 GMT, 14 January 2013

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UPDATED:

23:09 GMT, 14 January 2013

Dude, is that your real hair

Watch the first Nike advert featuring both new signing Rory McIlroy and original superstar Tiger Woods.

Rory McIlroy took a major step to becoming the United Kingdom's first billion-dollar sportsman after he was officially unveiled as a Nike athlete.

At a press conference in Abu Dhabi filled with glitz and glamour, the Northern Irishman, 23, signed a $25million-a-year (about 15.5m) contract that, alongside tournament earnings and appearance fees of similar magnitude, could see him break the 10-figure earnings barrier before he finishes his glittering career.

Jack Nicklaus was 46 when he won his last major and the legendary Arnold Palmer is still raking in $20m (about 12.4m) a year in sponsorship despite now being in his eighties.

Just done it: Rory McIlroy has signed a sponsorship deal with Nike that will see him net 155m

If McIlroy can avoid the scandals that have affected other Nike athletes such as Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong and keep his form, that gargantuan billion-dollar figure is clearly within range.

McIlroy was welcomed into the fold by fellow Nike superstars Wayne Rooney, Roger Federer and Woods himself. Messages of support from the trio were played on a big screen behind where McIlroy and Cindy Davis, president of Nike Golf, were sitting.

Spectacular: McIlroy's image was projected onto water at a glitzy ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Monday

No details of the Nike deal have been revealed but the initial contract is believed to be worth up to $25m a year and could run for a decade. That equates to around $68,000 (over 42,000) a day but McIlroy vowed not to let the staggering sums of money distract him from his game.

Rory the cleaner's son mops up

Read Derek Lawrenson's verdict on the sponsorship deal that everyone is talking about…

'I don't play golf for money, I am well past that,' he said. 'I am a major champion and world No 1, which I have always dreamed of being, and I want to keep on living the dream. If I haven't won another major by the end of this year I am going to be very disappointed.'

McIIroy's megabucks deal heralded what promises to be a momentous week in Abu Dhabi, with Europe's Ryder Cup captain due to be announced on Tuesday.

The Holywood star reiterated his backing for Paul McGinley but there are plenty of whispers that the 15-man Tournament Players' Committee, who have the vote, might go for Scot Colin Montgomerie on home soil at Gleneagles next year.

If that happens, McIlroy might find himself leading a revolt among the men who were at Medinah.

Welcome to the big time: McIlroy joins Tiger Woods in earning a huge sum as the face of Nike's golf division

Swansea have signed Osasuna forward Roland Lamah on an 18-month loan deal.

The 25-year-old arrived in Wales on Monday to wrap up his move from the La Liga side, with a permanent transfer earmarked for this summer.

Lamah is highly-rated in Belgium, where he has been capped at every level from Under 19s upwards, and can line up on the left of an attacking three or as a striker.

Signing: Lamah (left) will join Swansea on loan

But despite his reputation he has struggled in La Liga this season, scoring only two goals in 15 games. Eight of his appearance came from the bench.

A clause in the deal – the paperwork of which is expected to be completed on Tuesday – states that Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins will have first refusal on a permanent move for the 2million-rated player if he impresses at the Liberty Stadium.

Frank Lampard will leave Chelsea at the end of the season with Italy his most likely destination, his agent has revealed.

The 34-year-old England midfielder will not be offered a new deal by Chelsea and has recently been linked with a move to Serie A sides Inter and Lazio.

Come and get me: Lampard's agent says he is definitely leaving Chelsea in the summer

Fans' favourite: Chelsea diehards are adamant he has more to give to the club even though he has turned 34

And when his agent Steve Kutner was
quizzed by the Italian media on the possibility of Lampard heading to the country in the summer, he admitted that the ex-West Ham man will definitely be leaving
Stamford Bridge when his contract expires and talked up the possibility of a move
to Italy.

'At this moment, Lampard is
exclusively thinking about the present, in other words Chelsea,' Kutner
told Cittaceleste.it. 'As for the future, the only certainty is that he
will change team at the end of the season. Frank wants to pay for a
great side, capable of challenging for important targets and where he
could win more trophies.

Silverware: Lampard has admitted what he wants more than anything is to add to his cabinet of trophies

'We won’t rule anything out. The only thing that counts is that the player is happy and can continue playing at a high level.

'A champion of Lampard’s calibre
deserves the biggest stage. Serie A Why not Only time will tell if
Lazio could be the ideal destination.'

Sturridge set for Cup debut after completing 12m move to Liverpool from Chelsea

European Cup and 2010 and 2012 FA Cups in his trophy cabinet.

STURRIDGE TIMELINE

1989: Born September 1, in Birmingham.2003: Signs for Manchester City's academy at the age of 13, following trials with Aston Villa and Coventry.2004: Named player of the tournament and finishes as top scorer as City win the Under-15 Nike Cup.2006: Signs professional contract with City.2007: February 3 – Makes City debut in 2-0 defeat to Reading.2008: January 27 – Scores first professional goal in a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United.2009: Finishes the season with four goals in 26 appearances.July 3 – Turns down a new deal at City to sign for Chelsea.August 11 – Earns first England Under-21 cap against Netherlands.2010: January 2 – Scores first goals for Chelsea, in a 5-0 FA Cup thrashing of Watford.May 15 – Comes off the bench at Wembley as Chelsea secure a Premier League and FA cup double by beating Portsmouth 1-0.2011: January 11 – Joins Bolton on a loan deal until the end of the season,February 2 – Scores 90th-minute winner on his Bolton debut as Wanderers beat Wolves 1-0.May 22 – Sent-off during his final Bolton appearance against former club Manchester City. Scored eight goals in 12 games during the loan spell.October 2 – Scores a brace during Chelsea's 5-1 thrashing of former club Bolton.November 15 – Makes England debut as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 victory over Sweden.2012: April 29 – Scores the opener in a 6-1 victory over London rivals QPR to keep Chelsea's hopes of Champions League qualification alive.May 19 – Remains on the bench as an unused substitute as Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on penalties to win the Champions League for the first time.July-August – Makes a full recovery from meningitis to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics in London, scoring against both the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay but missing a crucial penalty against South Korea in the quarter-finals.October 31 – On the scoresheet as Chelsea need extra time to eliminate Manchester United and reach the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup with a 5-4 victory.2013: January 2 – Leaves Chelsea to join Liverpool for an undisclosed fee. After signing a long-term contract, he says: 'I am humbled and happy to be here. I've not signed to play for a couple of years and then move on. I've signed to be here for as long as possible. It's a humongous club.'

Redknapp in talks over taking Cole on loan with a view to buy… if QPR stay up

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UPDATED:

22:45 GMT, 30 December 2012

Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp is closing in on a reunion with Joe Cole.

Sportsmail revealed the Loftus Road club’s interest in Cole on November 30 and Rangers have now opened talks with Liverpool — who beat them 3-0 — over a January switch for the midfielder, 31, who was given his professional debut by Redknapp at West Ham in 1998.

London-bound: Joe Cole has started talks with QPR about a loan move in January

Redknapp is hoping to seal a loan deal ahead of a permanent move if Rangers avoid relegation.

But if Cole and Liverpool agree a severance package for the 18 months left on his 90,000-per-week deal, he could join permanently next month.